SUPPLY CHAIN ARTICLES

  • Plasmid Production: 3 Key Takeaways For mRNA Manufacturing

    Following my latest Live panel on analytical and manufacturing technology innovations for mRNA production, I wanted to provide a few high-level takeaways I gleaned from our discussion on the overlooked darling of the mRNA space: The plasmid. 

  • "Mirror, Mirror…": Reflections On Reducing mRNA Production COGS

    Here, I outline three overarching words of wisdom I gleaned from Life Edit Therapeutics’ April Sena; Tune Therapeutics’ Tyler Goodwin; and University of Sheffield’s Adi on how the mRNA/RNA industry can better control production costs — particularly as it relates to raw material sourcing and usage.  

  • “To Thine Own [mRNA Product] Be True:” Shakespeare's Guide To RNA GMP Principles

    In the following article, I offer some of the biggest tips and tricks experts offered during a panel discussion on the challenges of navigating GMP principles in the RNA space today — with a little bit of help from Shakespeare himself. 

  • The mRNA Supply Chain Revolution: Materials, Methods, And Momentum

    mRNA innovation now hinges as much on manufacturing materials as on molecular design, with novel inputs shaping performance, cost, and scalability. As these less-mature materials move rapidly into production, strategic material selection and supplier alignment are becoming critical to manufacturing resilience and long-term success.

  • Cultivating A Thriving mRNA Ecosystem: Key Initiatives & Future Directions

    Overall, I felt that the following initiatives/talking points were demonstrative of the types of creativity and symbiosis that we will need much more of in the near and long-term to foster a healthy and fruitful RNA ecosystem. 

  • The Price Is… Almost Right: mRNA Edition! COGS Reduction Strategies

    The following article will outline the current state of COGS in the mRNA industry and the work he and his colleagues undertook to more effectively utilize raw materials. But heaven forbid this be your normal conference panel write-up. No, below I share Parrella’s insights, but in the form of a never-before released episode of The Price is Right…or perhaps more fittingly given the state of the industry today, this spectacle is more aptly titled: The Price is…Sort Of, Almost, Not Quite Right! 

SUPPLY CHAIN VIDEOS

In this Bioprocess Online Live panel, we discuss two experts' perspectives on the current state of the mRNA supply chain for critical raw materials and manufacturing supplies and where pain points still exist.

Can we actually achieve metric-ton siRNA production using enzymatic ligation? While the ligation step is highly scalable, upstream "blockmer" synthesis remains the primary bottleneck. Advancing RNA Live panelists Claire MacCleod and Jill Caswell discuss the shift from "scaling out" to "scaling up" and lessons learned in the process of achieving larger-scale production. 

Life Edit Therapeutics’ April Sena provides an update on NIST’s gene editing consortium, teasing forthcoming deliverables from a working group focused on gRNA quality. 

Advancing RNA Live panelists delve into advancements in IVT technology, homing in on innovations like bead-based purification, improved enzymes, and modular manufacturing systems.

ARTICLES, APP NOTES, CASE STUDIES, & WHITE PAPERS